


Accidental Child Acquisition and Other Adventures in Piracy

by Souless_Robot



Category: One Piece
Genre: Family, Found Family, Gen, Goth Fam, Goth Trio, Parent Dracule Mihawk, Perona And Roronoa Zoro Are Siblings, Shichibukai - Freeform, accidental adoption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:43:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Souless_Robot/pseuds/Souless_Robot
Summary: Mihawk didn’t mean to adopt two children, really he didn’t. So why wouldn’t Shanks shut up about it? Sure Shanks went on and on about some brat he met in the East Blue and what a riot he was but that didn’t mean that Mihawk had gone out looking for brats of his own. If anything it was the brats that wouldn’t leave him alone.
Relationships: Dracule Mihawk & Perona, Dracule Mihawk & Perona & Roronoa Zoro, Dracule Mihawk & Roronoa Zoro, Perona & Roronoa Zoro
Comments: 12
Kudos: 189





	Accidental Child Acquisition and Other Adventures in Piracy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [pumpkin soup with three spoons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760985) by [razbliuto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/razbliuto/pseuds/razbliuto). 



Mihawk didn’t mean to adopt two children, really he didn’t. So why wouldn’t Shanks shut up about it? Sure Shanks went on and on about some brat he met in the East Blue and what a riot he was but that didn’t mean that Mihawk had gone out looking for brats of his own. If anything it was the brats that wouldn’t leave him alone. 

“Sensei.” 

Speaking of children that wouldn’t leave him alone. Zoro had taken to calling him sensei. He’d never insisted on it. He’d never insisted on anything when it came to Zoro other than he take regular baths and make it home by nightfall. 

“Yes?” 

“When are we going to start training?” Zoro had that drawn and stubborn look that he only got when it came to swords. Mihawk had no idea why the boy was so caught up on blades, but that didn’t change the reality that he was. The Warlord was convinced that Zoro would have followed the first person he came across with a sword home. That worried Mihawk more than it probably should have. 

The swordsman had never gotten a straight answer out of the boy in regards to his parents, but at this point, he had yet to see a single flier for a missing boy and he’d been here for over two years so he let Zoro keep his silence. Mihawk knew that absent parents were more common than not on the oceans. 

Despite what Zoro might have wanted he was not training Zoro. He was Dracule Hawkeyes Mihawk and he had no need for an apprentice. If the boy watched his workouts and mimicked them, well that was none of Mihawk’s business. And if he sometimes gave the green-haired boy feedback on his stances, well no one ever needed to know. 

A loud wail echoed through the castle. Ah, that was his other headache. 

“Daddy I can’t find Bearsy anywhere?!” The pink-haired ghost girl floated through the stone wall. He hadn’t told her to call him that either but the girl simply wouldn’t be dissuaded and it was exhausting to try and reason with a six-year-old. Perona was very outspoken and for all that Zoro tended to be quiet when it was just the two of them with their swords as soon as Perona entered the mix the two children’s loudness increased exponentially. Mihawk dragged a hand across his eyes. It was only 7 am and he hadn’t even had coffee yet. 

“Perona, where did you last have Bearsy?” 

The wailing grew louder, “I don’t remember!” 

This would not be a quick endeavor. He sighed, “Let’s go eat breakfast we will find your bear after.” 

Perona opens her mouth and he sends her a sharp look. He was not open to arguments on this. He was not searching the whole castle for a stuffed bear until he had coffee. 

“I thought we were going to go train!” Zoro says as he trails after him to the kitchen. Perona floats off to her room to get her body. 

“A warrior cannot be strong until they learn to take care of their body.” Mihawk steps over to the stove and deftly ties the black apron around his waist as he clicks the stove on to heat water and milk. 

Perona comes in next. She’s dressed in one of her frilliest dresses. She still doesn’t look happy but at least she is no longer crying. 

Mihawk took down three mugs when the warm milk was just beginning to bubble against the edge of the pot he poured it into the smallest mug. He took a spoonful of chocolate and stirred it in. He paused before adding three small marshmallows. He didn’t usually like Perona to have so much sugar in the morning, but hopefully, the treat would make her forget about her stuffed bear until breakfast was finished. He set the mug in front of the small girl and she made a pleased little snort as soon as she sees the marshmallows. 

“Don’t drink it too quickly. It’s still hot,” He advises. 

Perona huffs, “I’m not stupid Daddy.” When Mihawk sees her strongly blowing on the top of the mug and he’s certain she won’t burn herself he goes back over to the stove where the kettle is now boiling. He pours the water into his french press and allows the coffee to percolate. He digs around in the cupboard and finds Zoro’s usual green tea mix. He drops the tea bag in and pours the water before delivering the mug to Zoro. 

Zoro lets out a small, “Thanks Sensei.” 

Mihawk nods and goes to finish preparing his coffee. Once he’s had a few sips he feels more awake. He swears he can feel the caffeine slip into his body on a cellular level. He then begins to fry the eggs, scrambled with cheese and no onions for Perona -she was an incredibly picky eater- and simple sunny side up eggs for him and Zoro. 

Breakfast went off with no other hiccups and afterward, he sent Zoro off with Perona to search the library. If he didn’t send them together Zoro would no doubt get himself lost. Besides he needed complete silence if his technique was going to work. 

Mihawk spreads his observation Haki across the castle. Locking onto small inanimate objects was one of the most difficult tasks he’d ever tried. His Haki was strong enough that he could keep an eye on major events two seas away, but somehow using it to find a stuffed bear that was in his own home was more exhausting. His vision flipped swiftly from room to room, darting over every surface in a mad search. Pressure mounted in the front of his skull after the twentieth room. Then he felt a slight itch and he dug deeper into the feeling. A spot of blue and white striping flashed across his mind.

There! He locked on focusing his Haki to widen the view. He frowned at the pink and black decorations across every surface; this could only be one room in the castle. He sighed and released his Haki. His eyes twitched as his vision settled back into only what was in front of him. He massaged his throbbing head, the sensation would pass soon enough. 

The hallways echoed as Mihawk made his way to Perona’s room. It looked like a tornado had passed through. She had clothing, books, and toys spread over every surface. He reached down under her unmade bed and yanked out the bandaged teddy bear in a blue and white conductor’s hat. 

Mihawk closed her bedroom door and followed the sound of bickering, readying for the battlefield that was getting Perona to clean her room. He really would like someone to tell him how this became his life. 

* * *

_ Two years prior _ : 

There was a restaurant that was gaining notoriety in the East Blue for its excellent food and the no-nonsense attitude of its chefs. It was the first of its kind a floating seafaring restaurant. The fact that the restaurant was mentioned even at the far end of the grandline was telling and Mihawk hoped it lived up to its reputation so this wasn’t a wasted trip. Not that it mattered, Mihawk had nowhere better to be since Shanks had come back lacking an arm from the weakest sea. This would be as amusing as anything else, traveling to the East had the added bonus of would-be-pirates trying to assert their strength. It was always a good time to cut up the ship of some cocky captain that knew nothing of the world. 

The wind pushed his small craft along and Mihawk sipped wine as he stared over the horizon to the Calm Belt. It was peaceful in the way only the least travel part of the sea could be. Traveling over the Calm Belt was the fastest way to go if you had the strength to survive it. The ocean sparkled. It was him, the water, and the sky. It was lonely. He’d relentlessly climbed to the top but no one mentioned how lonely it was. He had reclaimed his family's castle from the humandrill’s but his Kingdom was still devoid of life, a gloomy memorial to the follies of man. 

He shook his head frying his mind from the sentiment and he poured himself another glass of wine. If the wind held, he would be at the Baratie restaurant in time for a late lunch tomorrow that should serve as a welcome distraction for at least a short period of time. 

The Baratie lives up to its reputation. The food is excellent and worth the trip. They seat him in a far corner at a small table next to an open window. He has a good view of the ships coming and going. The staff is intriguing and chaotic. The head chef has a peg leg and a braided mustache that stands out against his too-large white hat. For some reason, the man looks vaguely familiar. Regardless the man appears to recognize him, it was probably Yoru, his sword has a tendency to give him away. Still, the head chef just gives him a curt nod and points to the large lettering of the restaurant rules on a plaque by the entrance. 

  1. No starting fights in or around the restaurant. This is for you pirate bastards and you Marines. 
  2. Eat everything on your plates, you ingrates.
  3. The customer is always right, except when they aren’t.
  4. Pay for your meal.
  5. We feed everyone. 



The list is odd and contradictory but it’s far from the oddest thing Mihawk has ever seen. Mihawk shrugs and nods his assent. He has no intention of stirring up trouble, not when the restaurant has a very full wine list for him to try. His server is a young blond boy who looks far too young to have a job, but he’s a good enough waiter even if he does seem to pay more attention to female customers. 

The head chef is keeping a careful eye on the boy. He can’t help but equate it to a mother seahawk circling over her young as they take their first flight. It’s obvious the older man holds some sort of sentiment for his young apprentice. It’s a foreign emotion to Mihawk, but the old man doesn’t need to worry. Mihawk doesn’t make it a habit of harming children. 

Mihawk shrugs off the sensation of eyes on him as he finishes his meal. He’s still nursing his second glass of red wine when the head chef kicks, quite literally, one of the other chefs out of the kitchen for trying to over salt his Au Jus. The two chefs stand in the dining room bickering while he sips his wine when a crew of four men come in with their rifles raised high. The other customers shriek and duck under their tables as the men demand the restaurant staff turn over all their money or they’ll start shooting. 

As far as threats go it's amateur and banal. Mihawk thinks about slicing them down just on the principle of them being rude enough to disturb his meal. Why does no one have manners anymore? How irritating. 

He takes another long drag finishing his glass, while he gestures for the waiter boy to fill his glass up again. The boy gives him an incredulous look as the rest of the customers cower. The boy does come over and pour him another glass of wine, which is good because if he has to deal with these wannabe pirates he’s going to need more booze. 

“What are you some kind of idiot or something?” One of low-level pirates says. His boots squeak across the tile as he approaches Mihawk's table. The man is utterly boring to look at. He looks like thousands of other weaklings Mihawk has cut down in his lifetime. 

The man swings his rifle forward and right into Mihawk's face. Mihawk doesn’t flinch. He slashes the butter knife up. The rifle falls into finely diced cubes on the floor. The man gasps and jolts back from the table his hand scrambling to his waist to pull out a short dagger. 

“I find your face disturbing to look at while I’m drinking.” Mihawk inspects the cutlery. It’s a surprisingly high-quality steel. 

“I’ll kill you!” The man spits, his colleagues have come closer now. They’re circling like vultures. They fail to notice the dragon in their midst. 

“I was aware that Pirates on the East Blue were the weakest. I didn't realize they were also the stupidest.” He drawls as he spins the wine in his glass. It really is a fine vintage. His other hand twirls the butter knife idly. 

There’s a sudden loud crash from outside. The large schooner the men had sailed in on was cut neatly into thirds. There were shrieks and splashes as bodies jumped from the sinking ship into the sea. 

Mihawk waits until the men get outside. It seems like poor taste to get blood on the floor of a dining room. Besides there are the rules to think about, he really would like to be able to return to this restaurant. 

He hums and takes another sip of his wine. Then he flicks the knife four times in quick succession. The four pirates cry out in pain and fall into the ocean with the rest of their comrades. The sea bubbles up red. The men may make it, perhaps, if they are strong. Mihawk finishes his drink and stands, slinging Yoru over his shoulder. He sets a hundred berris down on the table. It should cover his meal. 

The restaurant is still silent as he heads for the exit. He pushes the wooden saloon-style doors open. 

“Wait,” the head chef's voice is gruff and sounds like sandpaper. Mihawk turns back to look at him, wondering if he had something to say. He wonders if the man has the balls to call him on fighting. Mihawk wouldn’t consider anything he had done fighting. No, fighting implies your enemy has a chance. “You overpaid.” 

The head chef stumbles up to him his peg leg tap tap tapping across the floor as he lifts Mihawk's payment for lunch off of the table and counts it out before he hobbles back over and presses a ten berri bill back into his hand, “We don’t take charity in the Baratie.” When they’re closer the blond man leans in close and says, “Next time I expect you to let me and my men handle any disturbances Hawkeye Mihawk. Can’t have it getting out that my restaurant makes the customers fight its battles, my reputation would go in the hole. So next time just sit your ass down and enjoy the show.”

Mihawk grins at the man’s steel spine. It was rare that people that knew who he was spoke to him like this. He grins, “Noted. I hope you’ll keep the Alabasta Le Blanc in stock for my next visit.”

With that, he sweeps out of the restaurant. It was good he would be back. 

* * *

Mihawk sails off. He needs to stop at one of the smaller islands on the northside of the East Blue to restock supplies before he returns home. He hits the island Shimo something in the early evening and pulls into the port. It’s small and quiet. The nearest vessels are fishing boats. It’s the relaxed type of little island that the east sea is known for. 

He pays the four half berri docking fee and saunters into town. Families are heading home as the sunsets. The lamplighters are beginning to light the street lanterns casting the street in a soft orange flicker. Mihawk follows the flow of people to the main market street. 

The market is still bustling although some of the vendors are beginning to close up shop. He walks faster to the first fruit stand he crosses. His hands roam over the apples and he selects a handful. The merchant graciously bags them and Mihawk pays him and leaves moving on to the next stand. If he remembers correctly this town sells high-quality short-grain rice. He’d been meaning to restock that item in his pantry for risotto. 

By the time Mihawk finishes restocking his inventory, the streets are nearly completely empty. The remaining merchants are flipping their signs to closed and heading back to their homes or ships. He tosses his purchases over his shoulder and turns on his heel back towards the docks. 

There’s a soft scuttle behind him. He stops suddenly and the noise stops too. He takes a few more steps and the scrape of pebbles being scattered begins again. He can sense it; someone is following him. And whoever this person is obviously has no concept of sneaking. Mihawk diverts off the main street into the dark series of alleys. His footsteps echo off of the surrounding buildings as he follows the alley to its dead end. There he sets down his groceries. 

“Come out I don’t appreciate cowards or spies.” 

Out of the gloom steps a small figure. The first thing Mihawk notices is the boy has green hair. The second that the boy is barefoot. 

“I’m no coward,” The boy hisses, he has a piece of wheat between his teeth and is chewing it. In the faint light from the main street, the child looks feral. He’s wearing pants that are too big for him and are held up by a piece of twine. His white shirt is threadbare and stained. Still, the boy is standing there and spitting at him like an angry tomcat protecting his territory. “There’s no harm in watching.”

“It’s rude.” A brat, it had been a street brat following him. The boys aren’t focused on Mihawk though they’re focused on his sword in open fascination. 

“You don’t look so tough,” The boy says suddenly, “You’re a swordsman; fight me. If I win you give me your apples.” 

Mihawk laughs. Ah, that was his goal. This was certainly one of the more interesting muggings someone had tried to pull on him. 

The boy scowls, he narrows his silver eyes and glares, “Don’t you have any honor? You’re a swordsman you have to accept challenges. I've beat all of the men on this side of the island. I’ve met the swords

Mihawk’s interest is piqued. He’s no expert on children but by his estimate, the boy couldn’t be more than ten. If the boy was being honest then perhaps he was scrappier than he looked. And where did the boy get his conception of swordsmen from? 

“I’m a pirate brat, I have no honor,” The boy’s eyes widen at that bit of information and Mihawk smiles at least the child isn’t stupid, ”Even if I were to accept your duel you have no weapons, nor are you a swordsman. It seems like poor sportsmanship to kill a weakling.” 

The boy scowls again bristling like a cat, “I’m no weakling and I don’t need a weapon to beat up some shitty pirate.” 

“Fine,” Mihawk grins cruelly. He doesn’t make it a habit to harm children but he’s not above traumatizing the annoying ones. “I’ll accept your deal if you can survive this.” 

Mihawk lets his bloodlust loose. It flows over every stone. It’s not Conqueror's Haki like Shanks has but it makes weak men fall all the same. He unsheathes Yoru slowly, letting the gentle scrap of his sword against its scabbard echo off the stone.

The boy is panting frozen in place. His eyes are blown wide in terror and he’s faintly trembling but he’s still conscious and he’s still standing which is more than most grown men that have met him can say. 

He flicks his blade forward and the boy’’s eyes widen even further in alarm before he grits his teeth and schools his expression into one of calm, closing his eyes. It’s the look of someone who accepts death and will walk towards it without fear. Mihawk has only seen that look on a handful of people in his whole blood-soaked career. It’s terrifying to see the expression on a child. 

The ground opens up in front of the child as a deep gash is sliced into the brick road. The boy opens his eyes and blinks in confusion. He looks down at his chest and then at the ground. There isn’t a scratch on the boy. 

Mihawk approaches, leaning over the boy to smirk in his face so the child can understand the difference in power between them. The child doesn’t step back though, he holds his ground. Most impressive. 

“What is your name boy?”

“Roronoa Zoro.” The words are quiet, but there’s steel in his voice, “Why didn’t you kill me?” 

Mihawk shrugs and resheathes Yoru, “Just because you were weak today does not mean you won’t be worth something in the future. Here,” Mihawk tosses him an apple. Roronoa catches it but tilts his head in confusion, “You survived.” 

Mihawk gathers his provisions back on his shoulder and walks past the boy who still has not moved an inch. The streets were just as empty as before and he had no problems finding his way to the docks and loading his ship. If he sets sail now it will only be two days back to his island. 

There’s a faint scuttle and Mihawk sighs. He thought his street brat problem was taken care of for the evening but apparently not. A tuft of green hair is watching him from the edge of the dock. 

“I’m coming with you!”

“No, you’re not. Go back to your family.” 

The boy sneers at him, “Yes I am. If I don’t go with you I won’t get any stronger and I have to get stronger.” 

“Then go find yourself a master and train,” Mihawk pulls up the anchor and unloops the rope connecting his ship to the dock. He steps into his boat. It rocks gently under him from his sudden weight. He settles into his seat and reaches up to position his sail. 

The ship shakes more violently and Mihawk finds a familiar pair of silver eyes glaring up at him. Roronoa had followed him into his ship. 

“I will defeat you!” 

The challenge echoes in the air and Mihawk can’t help it. He bursts out laughing. His first serious challenge in years is from a six-year-old. Perhaps Shanks was right and the East Blue did have some interesting brats. 

“Do as you wish,” Mihawk says. He has no idea how much trouble those four words are going to cause him in the next ten years and even if he did he wouldn’t take them back. 

* * *

_ One year prior:  _

Zoro, Mihawk found, had no sense of direction. After nearly a year of trying to teach the boy about reading maps and using the sun to orient oneself, he had given up. Nothing short of a leash was going to keep the brat on the correct path. It was much faster to just let the boy wander off and use Haki to find him later. 

This island was different though. Mihawk could feel in the air something dark had happened here even before they found the first empty village. It was eerily reminiscent of Kuraigana but with none of the comforts. It was uncanny and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention. His instincts told him to keep Zoro close until he knew more and so he listened. 

Mihawk wasn’t worried. Zoro was just as good at getting himself out of trouble as he was getting into it. The boy took to swordsmanship like a fish to water and the boy could defend himself against most opponents when backed into a corner. Still, Mihawk had felt someone strong on this island, and until he knew exactly who it was, he was keeping the boy close. 

The island was unusually silent; there weren't even birds chirping as they walked through the forest. In the distance, the trees opened up and Mihawk grimaced as he caught sight of what littered the open fields. Bodies, bodies piled high. It only got worse as they approached. The smell of decay was disgustingly cloying. Zoro gagged behind him. 

He wouldn’t spare the boy this. This was the result of violence and if he wanted to become a true swordsman he would need to reconcile himself to the consequences of wielding a blade. 

Their footsteps reverberated through the field. It was grisly. If he had to guess he would say it was some sort of civil war where neither side spared anyone. They’d fought to the last man and no one won. It was far too reminiscent of his homeland. He walked faster until a grating noise drew his attention. 

A giant amongst the corpses there stood the blue form of Gekko Moria. He had a cart behind him and it was obvious what he was doing. 

“Hawkeyes kishishishi,” Moria chuckled nervously when the other warlord noticed them. He quickly used his enormous body to block his cart of pilfered body parts. Moria’s black leather gloves were drenched in coagulated blood and Mihawk can see the poorly hidden bone saw the other pirate is hiding behind his back. 

“Moria,” Mihawk greeted stiffly, “Still think grave robbery is the height of piracy I see.”

“I see you still have your shadow,” Mihawk’s eyes narrow and he grabs Yoru’s hilt at the threat. The shadow puppet master backtracks waving his hands between them, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding of course! Kishishishi.” 

Zoro is staring curiously over at the other Warlord and Moria is glancing between the two of them, no doubt coming to his own incorrect conclusion. Moria smirks at Zoro. Mihawk doesn’t like it. Moria is far from the most dangerous of the Warlords but that doesn’t mean that he can’t make himself an annoyance. 

“Zoro, why don’t you go practice your new move? I think me and Moria have something to discuss.” His tone doesn’t leave room for argument and Zoro acquiesced. 

“Okay, Sensei.” The boy nods, his hand on one of his swords as he begins to wander through the battlefield towards the forest. Zoro could take care of himself, other than Moria Mihawk couldn’t detect anyone with a strong presence. The boy would undoubtedly get lost, but with observation Haki he should be easy enough to find. 

“So what brings the World’s Greatest Swordsman to this humble little island?” 

Mihawk ignores him and dives for the information he seeks, “What happened here?” 

Moria shrugs, “War, death, famine, plague. Does it really matter? The result is the same.” He goes back to sawing the leg off of a particularly muscular corpse, “I heard it was some sort of disease that makes its victim hallucinate and wildly attack anyone near them. It was incurable of course. Still, they left me plenty to work with.”

“The disease, does it linger here?” Mihawk pushes. If so, he needs to find Zoro and leave immediately. 

Moria snorts, “Do you think I would be so stupid as to come here when there was an incurable disease on the loose?” Mihawk shoots him an unimpressed look, “Kishishishi of course not. It can’t survive without a living breathing host. It died when the last person on the island. This place has been in quarantine for nearly a month. There’s not a single breathing soul on this island except for us and that boy of yours of course.” 

Something crashes in the distance and a plume of dust fills the air over the forest. 

“Faster servant!” Mihawk blinks. There's something pink clinging to Zoro’s shirt and Zoro is barreling straight towards them at a full sprint. As he gets closer Mihawk gets a good look. It’s not a pink blob it is in fact a small pink-haired girl riding on Zoro’s back and pointing him forward. 

“I already told you I’m not your servant you-” Zoro snaps at the little human on his back. 

Two smiling white specters appear in the air and Zoro takes off even faster. One of the smiling white specters dives through Zoro’s chest. Zoro drops to the ground, his face smashes into the field as he doesn’t even have time to slow down. The little girl shrieks at the fall and scrambles off of him. Zoro isn’t moving. Mihawk’s eyes widen and he unsheathes Yoru. 

Zoro sits up on his knees bowing his head and groveling in the mud on his knees, “I wish I had never been born. I’m worth less than a piece of grass.” His words lower and fade off into nothing. Then he jolts up and yanks his sword out pointing it at her threateningly, “Hey, I told you to cut that out!” 

“Horororhhoro,” The little girl laughs as she steps away from Zoro and his drawn blades, “I told you cute servants don’t talk back!” 

“I thought you said everyone on the island was dead.” He directs to Moria. 

“Apparently not.” Moria is slinking closer to his cart and farther from them. He’s pulling his collar up to act like a mask around his mouth and nose. Mihawk was of the opinion that if they were infected Moria would not be making it off of the island alive.

“Sensei,” Zoro cries, getting to his feet. He’s carefully keeping his sword between him and the girl, “You have to help me. I was training and I found this tower and now she won’t leave me alone!” 

The ghost girl finally seems to notice that she’s not alone with Zoro. 

The girl takes one look at Moria and him and then she reels away. 

“Scary!” The girl declares as she dives closer to Zoro, deeming him the least threatening person here despite the drawn weapon. She’s not wrong. 

“Hey, hey get off me! Sensei help me please!” The girl is climbing Zoro like a monkey. Mihawk sighs and steps closer. He reaches down and picks the girl up by the back of her dress, pulling her off of Zoro. The girl was far too thin. She practically weighed nothing. 

“Let me go, Creepy eyes!” When her screaming and struggling didn’t get her what she wanted she threw her hand out towards his chest and one of the specters flew out. 

The ghost passes through him. It was an odd experience. He feels a flash of intense sadness which he chooses to ignore and then nothing. He blinks down at her. 

The girl’s eyes bulged, “What? It didn’t work?! Ah, scary! You’re scary! Wah Zoro help me Creepy Eyes has me!” 

Mihawk ignores her antics, “Where did you come from?” 

“No where did you come from? This is my island. It’s mine!” The little girl crosses her arms and stares up at him stubbornly expecting to have her question answered promptly. It’s an iconic look that Mihawk has only ever found in royals. He considers out stubborning her. She isn’t the only royalty on this island. Still, it seems like a pain this is why he became a pirate in the first place. 

“A boat.” 

“A boat?” The girl’s mood does a one hundred and eighty-degree flip, “Do you sail? Do you have food?” Her questions just won’t stop, “I’m Princess Perona. You may address me as your highness. I order you to take me to find Mama.” 

Mihawk looks around at the corpses. The World Government would have sealed this island as soon as it got wind of an incurable disease. The girl's mother, queen or not, is undoubtedly dead. 

“I cannot.” 

“Take me! Take me there right now you big meanie! Negative hollow!” Another ghost shoots out from her fingers. He blocks it with Haki and the specter dissipates into nothing. If Mihawk thought what the girl was doing before was a tantrum he was sorely mistaken. This was a tantrum. She was wailing like a banshee, her limbs flailing in all directions trying to hit him. Mihawk sighed, he hopes that she wears herself out soon. 

The wailing continues for another twenty minutes then her screams turn into hiccups and she’s sobbing. Fat tears roll down her cheeks as she throws her arms up to block her tears. “Mama told me to hide and stay in the attic so I did! I waited and waited but she didn’t come back. Then I went to find one of the servants but everyone was gone.” She starts heaving harder, “No one was here and there wasn’t any food. I only found one icky fruit. I went outside and everyone was dede-dead! I want Mama!” 

Ah, a devil fruit that certainly explained the odd smiling ghosts. Zoro is giving him a look that can only be described as pleading. Damn him, how do a child’s eyes even get that wide? Zoro is far too soft. 

Mihawk gently sets Perona down. She’s still sniffling after her outburst. Zoro approaches slowly and plops to the ground next to her. He still has dirt and a few cuts on his face from his earlier fall. He awkwardly pats Perona on her back. 

“Yo-you could come with us?” Zoro says. The statement comes out as a question. He’s looking up at Mihawk as he says it though, he’s asking for permission. 

Mihawk can feel another headache coming on. He nods at Zoro. 

“Mihawk,” Moria chimes in. Mihawk had expected the coward would be gone by now, “You already have one brat. I’ll take her.” 

The Shadow Thief is looking at the little girl with open fascination. Mihawk has heard of the strange experiments that happen on Thriller Bark. He remembers the stir when Moria recruited Doctor Hodgeback about the man’s less than savory experiments with women. 

Mihawk feels something blaze in his chest. The girl will not be leaving with Moria; he won’t allow it. 

“I think not. ” 

“What could you possibly need two brats for? What kind of kinky shit are-?” Mihawk doesn’t let Moria finish that sentence. Yoru is in his hand and he slashes out. Blood spurts from a wide gash on the half giant's chest. He drops like a rock grasping at the open wound. 

“Damn you Hawkeyes,” Moria spits, red spittle dribbling down his chin. He’d meant to slice the other Warlord in half, perhaps the Shadow Thief wasn’t quite as weak as he thought. 

Zoro has picked Perona up; he's holding her so she can’t see the violence. 

“Come Zoro we’re leaving.” With a flourish, he sheathes Yoru and heads for their ship. He leaves the other Warlord bleeding out in a pile of corpses. If he dies it will be a fitting end for a graverobber. 

That was how Perona came to be under his custody.

* * *

_ Present:  _

He sighed the World Government had called in all of the Warlords. The question was what to do with the kids. He shuddered to think about what had happened last time he had left Zoro and Perona in the castle alone. No, he had no interest in replacing his kitchen again. Shanks babysitting wasn’t an option either, last time they’d let Zoro try sake and taught Perona how to cheat at cards. No, he shuddered to think about what Shanks’s crew of degenerates would teach the kids now that they were older. The kids would have to come with him. He sighs and goes down to the cellar to get another bottle of wine for the trip. 

Perona and Zoro are both excited to be off Kuraigana and are chattering about the prospect of exploring new islands. Although Mihawk has tried to explain the World’s power structure multiple times he doesn’t think it’s really set in. He can’t help but think that his tendency to cut both marine and pirate ships in half when they get in his way has done anything to clarify it. Still, there was a difference between his children not understanding and actively taking them to Navy Headquarters. He supposes they’ll have to learn sometime and there’s no teacher like experience. 

“We’re going on a field trip. A field trip! A field trip,” Perona sings as she floats happily around their little ship. 

“Don’t float too close to the edge,” He warns as Perona laughs and flies higher. He really doesn’t want to have to fish Perona out of the sea today. He’d worn his good coat and hat for this meeting, the one with the velvet lining. 

Zoro is sitting quietly polishing his swords, “Will there be anybody strong there Sensei?”

“Yes and I expect both of you to behave.” Zoro nods at the serious tone in his voice and then eyes Perona who is still tossing her stuffed bear in the air and laughing. Mihawk sighs, though both the children have a tendency to find trouble Perona has a very unique way of creating it with her devil fruit. 

He’s honestly hoping she’ll be asleep by the time they get there. Open sea travel tends to tire her out in a way he hasn’t seen from other devil fruit users. He’s not sure if it’s because of her ability to float over seawater or because she’s still so young.

They arrive at Navy Headquarters with little fanfare. He tosses the rope to one of the marines and glares at him hard enough that the man gets the message to tie their boat off. Zoro climbs onto the dock and Mihawk scoops Perona up and sets her on the dock. He’d already warned her she needed to stay in her body all day. This place was too dangerous for him to trust anyone and her body was always vulnerable even if her ghost form wasn’t. 

Perona was oddly attuned to the tension in the air. She latched onto his left hand as soon as he was on the dock and refused to let go. Zoro was giving the white-uniformed marines a wide berth as he trailed after them. 

The Marines looked curious and he could hear quiet whispers as they passed on their way to the conference room. He glared at them and they shut up. 

Mihawk knew they were getting close from the muffled Fuffufu coming from the room at the end of the hall. The Heavenly Demon’s laugh was rather unique. 

He carefully shuffled Zoro and Perona behind him as he entered. He was sure to use his coat to keep the children out of Doflamingo's view. The ever-present smile didn’t leave the other warlord’s face. Mihawk was careful to keep Perona on his left so she couldn’t see the man’s pink jacket. Sometimes the girl had no concept of personal boundaries and even less self-control. The last thing he wanted was for her to decide to run up and hug the Heavenly Demon because she was fascinated with his fashion sense. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zoro shooting a wary look at the feather clad pirate. Zoro always did have good instincts. 

There’s only a handful of Warlords in the room. Doflamingo is seated by the door and is cackling as he flicks his fingers. Crocodile is smoking a cigar his golden hook hand is rested on the table, a threat as well as a reminder. Gekko Moria is seated next to him, prattling on about something. Jimbei is the one seated closest to the marines towards the head of the table. His blue hands are folded politely in his lap. It looks like the only warlords missing are Kuma and the Pirate Empress. Sengoku and his goat are resting at the head of the table trying to pretend they have some modem of control. 

Sengoku’s eyes widen at the sight of Zoro and Perona trailing into the meeting room behind him. Mihawk can feel the eyes on him but he has no interest in gracing them with a response. Instead, he ignores them and assesses the room, deciding the empty seat next to Jimbei is his best option. The Fishman seems surprised but doesn’t say anything as Mihawk pulls out one of the throne-like chairs and relaxes into it. 

Zoro stands awkwardly next to his chair, not sure what to do. His right-hand finds its way to his favorite sword. It’s a nervous tick Zoro does when he feels nervous or out of his depth. His silver eyes flicker around the room as the younger swordsman casts suspicious looks towards the warlords. 

Mihawk feels a sense of pride as his charge has accurately assessed the high level of strength contained in this room. He’s right to feel threatened and recognize that he’s out of his league. The boy is strong but he’s still young and he has a long way to go before he’s ready to fight a warlord. Still, the boy had nothing to fear today; Mihawk would slice anyone that even dared to think about harming his wards in half before they could ever make the first move. 

He uses his boot to kick out the nearest chair and tilts his head, silently indicating Zoro should sit. The boy does but he doesn’t release his grip on the hilt of his sword. 

Perona wastes no time, as soon as Zoro is seated she climbs into his lap and nervously buries her face into his shirt. He stared out at the rest of the pirates daring them to say something. None of them do, though he can hear Crocodile snicker. He shoots a particularly unimpressed look at the man. Moria looks particularly ashen. Good, it looked like he remembered their last encounter. 

“Hawkeyes this is most unusual,” Sengoku says addressing him but his eyes linger on the two children. Zoro glares up at the Fleet Admiral. 

Mihawk shrugs at the discomfort of the Fleet Admiral and readjusts Yoru so his greatsword was placed within reach, “I was ordered to appear. I am here. Now can we proceed?”

Sengoku coughs, “I really don’t think the matters we will be discussing are appropriate for children.” 

Mihawk cocked an eyebrow up and let a half-smirk play across his face, “I can certainly allow the children to roam but I can’t guarantee your fortress will be in one piece by the time the meeting is over.” 

Zoro smiles a particularly feral smile and amusement dances in Mihawks’s chest. The children had wanted to go exploring and if Sengoku was going to be stubborn Mihawk might let him have his way. Perona would have half his staff depressed or dressed as her servants within the hour and Zoro, well Zoro was just starting to get the hang of cutting metal and was looking to sharpen his teeth on anything he could find. 

“Fine!” Sengoku growls out. He doesn’t look pleased but Mihawk doubts it would be a good look for the Navy if their headquarters were thrown into an emergency state because of children. 

“Fuufhfu, I didn’t realize the Navy was so family conscious,” Doflamingo chortles, “Next time I’ll have to bring Law and Baby 5 along.” 

Sengoku flinches back at the remark. That was certainly the most visceral reaction anyone had gotten from the Fleet Admiral today. Doflamingo had obviously noticed too as he licked his lips and kicked his feet up on the table. Mihawk doesn't blame the Budda for his reaction. The concept of Doflamingo even being in close proximity to children was a grim one. 

The Fleet Admiral’s retort is cut off by the door being flung open and the bulking form of Barthemule Kuma lumbering in. The cyborg makes no comment and simply takes the seat next to Doflamingo. Kuma flips his bible open and begins to read. Following the Tyrant, Boa Hancock makes her entrance. Her shoes tap across the floor. She has her iconic snake is wrapped around her neck like a scarf. 

“I wasn’t aware the Navy was making brats warlords.” She says as she sprawls gracefully into the seat next to Zoro. Zoro bristles at the insult. Mihawk can feel his hackles rise. Only fools are taken in by the snake princess’s beauty enough to forget the venom that comes with her bite. 

“She’s really pretty,” Perona whispers into his shirt. She’s lifted her head to watch the new drama unfold. Mihawk pats Perona’s head, but his other hand is resting on the hilt of his sword. 

“I suppose they assumed there were enough brats in the room that two more wouldn’t hurt,” Jimbei says. Hancock laughs and the tension in the air evaporates. Mihawk releases his sword and peers over Perona at the whale shark Fishman. The first son of the sea tended to be nearly as silent as Mihawk at these meetings. Mihawk dips his head in acknowledgment of the Fishman deescalating the situation. Jimbei gives him a jerky nod back. 

Sengoku clears his throat, “Now that you’re all here perhaps we can begin. Regarding the issue with the-” 

Mihawk tunes Sengoku out. It’s some matter having to deal with Kaido taking territory that Mihawk couldn’t care less about. Soon Perona is snoring lightly against his chest. The rest of the meeting proceeds normally with the old Fleet Admiral ending the meeting by telling them they should try to impede the beast pirates in their New World ports where possible. The orders are unlikely to be taken seriously by anyone in this room. But really the Navy calling them all here today was more of a symbolic show of power than anything else. 

Sengoku dismisses them with a grunt and Doflamingo immediately gets into an argument with Crocodile. Mihawk stands sliding Yoru onto his shoulder. He’s careful not to jostle Perona but she blinks awake at the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. She wipes her eyes blearily and then demands he puts her down. 

As soon as she’s on the floor she’s darting towards Zoro with her hands outstretched, “Give me a piggyback ride ZoZo.” 

“No way!” The boy scoffs turning his nose up at the idea.

Mihawk watches amused as the ghost passes through Zoro and the boy kneels on the ground talking about how he wants to be reincarnated as a sea slug. He’s well aware of the eyes of the remaining Warlords in the room on them. 

He lightly nudges Zoro off the ground and towards the door. The boy is still feeling the effects of the negative hollow as is clumsier than normal as Mihawk propels him to the door. Perona skips along beside them. 

“Daddy!” Perona calls, wrapping her hand around his, “Can we stop at the Baratie on the way home? I’m hungry.” 

Mihawk merely nods. The Baratie sounds like an excellent idea even if Zoro is bound to get into a fight with the owner’s brat again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Mihawk tells Zoro to go find a master and train and Zoro immediately goes okay done and hops in the boat with him. Mihawk that was not how I was expecting that would go. Also not written but definitely thought about was the fact that Mihawk pushed Zoro off of his boat repeatedly before he agreed to let him come along. The stubborn boy just kept coming back and there was nothing Mihawk could do. 
> 
> The number of fucks Mihawk gives to what anyone else thinks about his kids are zero. For what it’s worth I don’t think Hancock would have seriously hurt the kids but her first introduction in the anime is her kicking a kitten and then saying everyone would let her get away with it because she’s beautiful. There’s no way Mihawk would let her get away with kicking his kids (unless they really deserved it). Jimbei would firmly be on the let’s not hurt kids train with Mihwak though. Look at the Strawhat helmsman go! I also have no idea when Jimbei joined the warlords but I’ve always figured that he was older than Robin so he would be 15+ years older than the strawhats which is more than enough time for him to be getting into trouble. 
> 
> I headcanon that Mihawk has a ridiculously advanced observation Haki and that in this verse and any verse where he ends up with Zoro he uses it to find Zoro whenever he gets lost. I also have a lot of thoughts about between Perona and Zoro whose older. In this story, I have Zoro being about two years older than Perona. So Mihawks picks up Zoro when he’s around six or seven and then when Zoro is eight they find Perona. I’ve also read lots of fics where Perona is older and I am a fan of the big sis vibe. Really I’m a fan of any sibling vibes between the two of them. 


End file.
